Clutch device



Nov. Z9, v1927.

E. L. ACKERMAN ET AL cLUTcH DEVICE Filed June 3, 1927 ATTORNEY.

l Patented NQv. 29, 1927.

UNITED STATES' PATENT oFFlcE., y

EDWARD I.. ACKERMAN AND Lors J; ZWIERZIANA, or DETROIT, Incluant. As-

sIGNons mo,AcxnnMAN-BLAESSERPFEZZEY, INC., or InrIItoI'r,` MICHIGAN, ncon- POBATION OF MICHIGAN.

CLUTCH DEVICE.

Application led June 3, 1927. Serial No. 196,181.

lThis invention relates to clutch devices, and the object of theinvention is to provide a simple clutch device 4adapted for use withvarious 'types of mechanism and, as

shown, is arranged to provide a. clutch de- -vice by rotation of which awindow sash may be raised or lowered'and that upon release I of theoperating handle, the clutch by reason of the weight of the sash isactuated to hold the mechanism from self-operation and releasable onlyby rotation of the handle in one direction or the other.

The particular features of the invention are involved in the peculiararrangement of thepa'rts and, while in its broadest scope it is similarto our pending application Serial No. 17 8,667 filed March 26, 1927, itdistinguishes therefrom in the various details of construction as ishereinafter more speciiically pointed out and claimed.

The construction of a device embodying the features of our invention isshown in preferred form in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1isan elevation of a sash and the frame in which it is slidable showingour improved clut'ch device in conjunction therewith.

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of our improved clutch device.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

' Fig. 4 is an end elevation partly in section showing the clutch springwith the parts in neutral position.

Fig. 5 is a similar elevation showing the same parts in position whenthe clutch spring is expanded.

Fig. 6 is a view of the driving member on which the spring is mounted.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the driving gear. s

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the driving gear and the clutch actuatorto which it is secured.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan View of a portion of the clutch actuator..Our improved clutch device consists of a driving member 1 and a drivengear 2 mounted in a stationary casing 3 that in the construction hereshown is provided with apertured ears 4 for Cil attachment to astationary part of the window frame and holding the gear teeth in meshwlth a segmental gear 5-pivotally supported and carrying a sashoperating arm 6.

By rotation of the ear 2, the arm and consequently the sash may beraised or lowered in vthe `usual manner. The driving member 1 has asquared orotherwise shape shank 8 for the attachment of an operatinghandle (not here shown) andadjacentthis shank is a portion 9 rotatablysup orted in the portion 10 of the casing provi ed therefor. The body ofthe `driving member indicated at 11 is of greater diameter and locatedin an enlarged portion of the casing@ This body portion is provided witha. circumferential rib 12 located vat the bottom of the enlarged portionof the casing. This v enlarged portion or body 11 ofthe device has alongitudinal groove providing approximately radial shoulders 13 and 14,as will be understood from Figs. 4, 'and 6. At the end opposite thesquared shank 8 the drivingmem er is pr'ovided'with an integraP rod likeextension l5 on which the clutch actuator and gear .16 are. rotatablymounted. This clutch actuator and gear is shown in perspective in Fig. 7from which it will be seen that it is provided witha cylindrical flange17 litting over the end of the cylindrical portion 11 as shown in Figs.2

' and 8 and thus the end of the body portion 11 `of the driving memberlies within this viange 17 and the flange 17 fits within the enlargedportion of the casing further roviding a support for the gear mem er.This gear and clutch actuator 16 is further provided with an insetprojecting finger or lug 18 which lies in the groove of the body betweenthe shoulders 13 and 14 thereof. This lug yor finger 18 is formed byressing the wall of the* member 17 inward y after the manner indicatedin enlarged form in Fig. 9 a distance approximately equal to the.thickness of the flange. The portion thus offset inwardly is subtendedby a cord of greater length than the cord subtendin the projectingportion 18. This rovides s oulders 19 and 20 on opposite sidpes of themember 18 that lie between the shoulders 13 and 14 of the drivingmember. This member 18 at its widest base art is less than the distancebetween the s ioulders 13 and 14.

A cylindrical coiled spring is mountedon the body 11 of the drivingmember and one end of this spring is inturned as at 21 to engage overthe shoulder 18 of the driver and at'opposite ends, as indicated at 22,is likewise inturned to engage over the shoulder 14 of the drivinmember. This coiled spring is a close fit 1n the enlarged portion of thecasing in whichthe body 11 of the driving member is located and as willbe understood from Fig. 2 the rib 12 is also practically free to rotatein the casing and, therefore provides a su port for the inner end of thespringhol ingthe said end out of contact with the shoulder of casing.

In previous constructions of this general character the spring seats inthe bottom of the enlarged portion of the casing and thus tends to creepin between the driving member and the casing and bind and thereforetends to produce a noise or squeak in operation due to the spring beingturned with the driving member while lying in contact with thestationary casing. By our 11nproved arrangement of partsthe spring 1sfsupported by the rotatable part thru use of Athe integral rib 12 `andsuch difficulties are thus avoided. y

The tongue or lug 18 lies in the space between the shoulders 13 and 14as above stated and between the inturned ends 21 and 22 of the spring aswill be understood from Figs.,4, 5 and 8. When the spring is in itstions in which a spring clutch of the general type herein describedy isused are arranged to cause Amovement of the gearl through engagement ofa shoulder of the driver' with the springend which in turn contacts alug similar to the lug 18 here shown and thus, in such construction, thedriving of the gear is caused through pressure at some distance from theplane of rotation of the gear. By our improved arrangement, in which thegear is driven through actual contact of the driver with the part towhich the gear is attached, the point of`pressu're is quite close to theplane of rotation of the gear relieving this gear member from sidepressure or twist in the casing .tween two relatively rotatable partsand the' load on the gear member 16 inthe particular use of the clutchdevice here shown is the weight of the sash which would tend to rotatethe'gear through the segment 5 in Fig. 1. Under this tendency'ofmovement of the gear member the tongue 18 contacts the spring end 21 or22 depending upon the direction in which the gear. member tends to turnand expands the spring causing engagement at eaclrof its turns thereofwith the stationary casing in which it is housed and this under thepressure applied to the gear tends to hold the same from movement-inother-words-locks the sash at any of the points in which the handleattached to the driving-member may release it. Therefore, the inturnedpoints 21 and 22 of the clutch spring are spaced apart a suicientdistance -so that when the gear y ember is turned the spring is expandedbe re the shoulder 19 or 20 of the member' 16 engages the respectiveshoulder 13 or 1,4` of the driving member.

Having thus briefly described our invention, whatwe claim and 'desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a clutch device,a stationary shell, a driving member and a driven member having limitedrelative rotative movement, Ithe driving member being tsupported nearoneJ end by a bearing provided by the shell and an enlarged portionpositioned in a correspondingly enlarged part of the shell, said`driving member at its opposite end having a cylindrical extension, thedriven member including a' gear centrally -apertured to engage ov'er' te said cylindrical portion of the driving member and further beingadapted to it vin the `enlarged portion of the shell, said driving.member having alongitudinal groove or recess and the driven member havemg an Vinset projection engaging therein, said projection being ofgreater width at itsbase than in the remaining portion' thereof therebyproviding shoulders to engage the respective walls of the groove of thedrivingmember, a cylindrical coiled spring on:

,the enlarged portion of the driving member, the 4end turns of which areinturned providing terminals engaging in the groove of the driver, thenarrowportionof the projection of the driven member lying between thesaid inturned ends and so arrva'nged that relative rotation of .thedriven member by force applied thereto causes the spring to expand tofrictionally engage the wall of the shell and the shoulders and baseofthe projection limitingthe relative'. rotation of the driving memberandv rovidinga means v whereby the driving mem r may positively turn thedriven member by direct engagement therewith.

2. In a clutch device, a stationary shell, two rotatable members havinglimited relative movement, one of the members having an enlarged portionwithin the shell and out of contact therewith and `provided with ,agroove forming spaced edges a proximately on a radial line thereof andrther being provided with a circular rib adjacent one end thereof, theexternal diameter of which is nearly the inner diameter of the shell, acylindrical coiled spring positioned on the said enlarged portion andseating at one end -against'the said rib, the end` turns' of the coilbeing inturned to engage in the space between the said spaced edges ofthe roove, the other of said members having a ug extending into the saidgroove and lying be-v tween the inturned ends of the lspring and inspaced relation therewith whereby on the turning of the second memberthe spring is caused to expand to frictionally engage the inner face ofthe shell and on rotative movement of the first rotatable member thespring is permitted to contract and thus freed from .material frictionalengagementv with the shell.

3. In a clutch device, a stationary shell, a driving member and a drivenmember having a limited relative rotative movement, the driving memberbeing rotatably supported in the shell and having an enlarged portiontherewithin and out of Contact therewith, said enlarged portion beingformed with a groove providing spacco edges approximately on a radialline thereof and further being provided with an integral circular ribadjacent one end thereof approximately of the diameter of the shell andout of frictional engagement therewith, a cylindrical coiled springpositioned .on the said enlarged portion and seating at one end againstthe said rib, the end turns of the coil being inturned to engage in thespace between the said spacededges of the driving member and in spacedradial relation therein, the driven member having a cupped portionproviding a cylindrical flange seating in the shel'l andengaging overthe end of the driving member. and providing a seat for the opposite endof the coiled spring, said flange having an integral extension inset tolie in the space between the radial edges of the driving member andshaped to lie between the inturned ends of the spring, the width of theportion of the extension between the spring ends being less than thenormal distance between the said inturned ends of the spring wherebylimited relative movement is permitted between the members and forceapplied to the driven -said cylindrical extension of member to turn thesame on its axis causes expansion of the coiled spring to frictiona'lengagement 'with the enlarged portion of the shell and on rotativemovement of the drivdriving member and a driveny member rotat-A ablysupported in the shell, the .said driving member having an enlargedportion within a corresponding portion of the shell land out of contacttherewith, said enlarged portion being provided with a longitudinalgroove formlng spaced edges lyin approximately on a radial line thereofan having a cylindrical extension of less diameter at theend adjacentthe enlarged portion and a shank for connection of a driving means atthe apposite end, the driven member including a gear centrally aperturedto engae over the e driving member and a cupped .member providing acylindrical flange engaging in the shell at its outer surface and intowhich the enlarged portion of the driving member extends, a circular ribat the opposite end of the enlarged portion of the driving member, aY clindrical coiled spring on the enlarged portion of the driving memberlying in t e space betweenv the rib and the liange of the driven member,said flange having an .integral exing member and at its base being lessin width than the space between the edges of the groove of the drivingmember and further having an extending portion of less width lyingbetween the inturned'ends of the spring, the arrangement providing thaton rotation of the driven member in either direction the spring ends arefirst enga ed to cause an expansion of the spring an then the portion ofgreatest width of the said extension comes into engagement with one orthe other of said edges of the groove depending on the direction of'vrotation of the driven member before the inturned ends of the spring aremoved to engagement with the edges forming the groove and whereby forceapplied to'the driving member will cause one or the other of said edgesto drive the driven member by reason of engagement with the lug at itsbase substantially as described.

5.v In a clutch device, a stationary shell, a driving and a drivenmember rotatably supported 'thereby and having limited relative rotativemovement, said driving member being provided intermediate its ends withan enlarged portion lying within the chamber provided by an enlargedportion of the shell, p

a coiled spring on the enlarged portion of the driving member within theshell and in normal contracted relation being out of frictionalengagement with the shell,'the said driving member having a cylindricalextentension inset to lie in the groove of the drivi sion on which thedriven member is-axially. the driving member on rotation thereof re'-mounted, the said spring having .intur'ned leasing the spring toself-contraction and 10 bent ends, va lug on the driven memberexpositively driving the driven member.

tending therebetween and providing a means Inl testimony whereof, wesign this speci- Whereby the spring is expanded to frictonal cation. 1engagement with the she'll through relative rotation of the drivenmember, and means EDWARD L. ACIUERMAN.

on the driven member directly engaged by ALOIS J. ZWIERZINA.

